So I've been feeling recently that Severus is a little lonely. He is at home with Penny (my 5 year old terrier) during the work day but Penny likes to sleep during the day and in general, despite Severus' attempts to cuddle next to her or play, she is just not interested. He also isn't sleeping at all during the night because he obviously isn't getting enough stimulation during the day.

I am getting a little bird feeder for outside my living room window because he loves to sit there during the day and it'll give hime some more stimulation and obviously he gets lots of love and attention from me when I get home but I have been considering adopting a second kitten to keep him company.

Severus is still young. He isn't even 2 yet (or so we think, as he's a resuce kitty it's hard to tell) so he's still adaptable and he is a very social cat - he needs constant attention and will follow me or Penny about the house, which is cute but makes me sad thinking about him during the day.

I have seen a kitten that I have fallen in love with (I've been keeping my eyes peeled) who is only 10 weeks and the kitten of a resuced stray and he is a gorgeous little thing. From what I have read the younger the original cat is and the younger the new cat coming in the more likely they are to get along. I know it is dependent on the personalities and how they are introduced but I am just looking for a little feedback and all that jazz!

Thanks PPK!

ETA that obviously Severus is neutered because I know that can make a difference as to how he could recieve a new kitten.

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 2:20 pmPosts: 1089Location: Land of the First Kaiju

I don't really have any advice, but just wanted to add that I'm in the same boat right now. My cat is 5 or 6 and is DESPERATE for playtimes all the time, and we can't give her as much attention as she wants/needs. Pretty sure a second cat is going to enter our lives in the next couple months! We're looking for a younger cat, too.

I got my first cat when he was ~1 year old, when he was 2 years old I got a 2 year old female cat to entertain him. They were fine after about a month. I think if I'd have brought home a kitten they would have been playing even earlier.

I was in the same boat not long ago. The scary thing is that it can go either way, but then I brought Effie (she was 3 months, Agnes was 2) home Agnes was so much happier, after the adjustment period. I will say during that adjustment period I was crying every day because I was afraid Agnes would be miserable forever and I had done a horrible thing and I started to resent Effie because I felt like she was torturing her--but they got past it. Nothing makes you feel like a horrible person like harboring a whole lot of anger toward a tiny kitten but Agnes was my baby first and I was so protective of her. Also I don't know how common it is for a 3-month old kitten to try to establish dominance over a 13-pound adult cat but Effie had no fear. Anyway, they adored each other, played all the time before Effie got sick, and Agnes was way less clingy and bored. Now that Effie has passed away Agnes is more anxious and more clingy and basically attached to my lap 25/7. I'll be getting a new kitten in August I think. I really hope it goes as well.

See? True love. Well honestly in this picture Agnes totally wanted the top of the microwave for herself and Effie was like, nope, I am tiny, I can fit myself up there too. But then it was fine.

_________________"No one with hair so soft and glossy could ever be bad at anything." - Tofulish

I was worried Baby was lonely, so I got her a friend. I kept them in separate rooms for a few days, then when I was home during the day, I would open the doors so they could get to know each other. Now, they are best buddies, they play fight half the time and love on each other and groom each other the rest of the time. Baby is super jealous when I give attention to Bug, but it's really cute, they are just like little kids.

I'm sorry to hear about Effie, strawberryrock but I am glad that they got along after the initial adjustment period.

Lubimiller, that is what I am hoping for. I have decided to go for it and am brining home my new kitty on Friday. He is a tabby with a little white belly who I am naming Rupert Giles. I am excited/nervous and have spent time kitten proofing my bedroom so he can stay there until they are ready to meet!

Nero was 9 when my sister got Susu (16 weeks old). it was a similar situation. Nero seemed really bored. and he'd gotten along with our cat Emily, but she died 6 or 7 years ago. Nero and Susu got along so well! After only a week. Now they just sit around licking each other and cuddling. kitties by ijustdiedinhere, on Flickr

_________________I am not a troll. I am TELLING YOU THE ******GOD'S TRUTH****** AND YOU JUST DON'T WANT THE HEAR IT DO YOU?

I'm thinking about another cat as well. Puddy is remarkably smart and seems to need constant stimulation. Which we give to her, but wow...it's full-time job! I'm just so terrified that my darling, perfect, amazing, etc, Puddy would feel neglected by a new cat in the house. Which would kill me. I'm thinking of maybe taking a cat in to foster and seeing how that goes.

I'm thinking about another cat as well. Puddy is remarkably smart and seems to need constant stimulation. Which we give to her, but wow...it's full-time job! I'm just so terrified that my darling, perfect, amazing, etc, Puddy would feel neglected by a new cat in the house. Which would kill me. I'm thinking of maybe taking a cat in to foster and seeing how that goes.

I am worried about Sev feeling neglected but I think it is definitely the best thing for him. It is a full time job and there only so many hours in the day!

This thread has turned into a super cute thread. Keep the pictures coming!

We adopted a second cat when a friend needed a new home for one of his due to serious interpersonal cat issues between his two cats and his girlfriend's cat; he was hoping he could find a home for her where she'd be one of two again, not three, and that all cats would be happier as a result. The first few weeks were touch and go, both between the cats and with the new cat and my husband -- he accidentally stepped on her tail early on (and felt AWFUL) and she held a grudge for a bit. They did adjust though. I think it helped that the new situation mirrored her previous one; Willy is younger than Zena, but Zena was used to having the "little sibling" role and took that on with Willy, which allowed him to still feel like head cat in the house. I imagine with a kitten that's less of a consideration, which I can only think would help.

Now they are just like brother and sister -- they will fight, and then five minutes later they're playing or grooming each other. It is really cute.

My cat's don't cuddle up together or groom each other. They play a lot, hang out near each other, and get along well so it works. Winston (orange) is not a cuddly cat in general. Snickers is a cuddler and will occasionally try to sleep next to him. If he's awake he smacks her, if he's asleep he wakes up as soon as she touches him and moves away.

This is about the closest they ever sleep to each other. They are almost touching! They often sleep in matching positions either the same or mirror image like this... usually they are a foot or so apart.

Just to offer a different perspective: our second cat wasn't a kitten when we got her. Both cats were adults when we got the second one and they got along famously from the beginning. First cat is a very shy male and second cat is an energetic, bossy female. They've been best buds for almost 10 years now!

Just to offer a different perspective: our second cat wasn't a kitten when we got her. Both cats were adults when we got the second one and they got along famously from the beginning. First cat is a very shy male and second cat is an energetic, bossy female. They've been best buds for almost 10 years now!

I am not against bringing an adult cat home, in fact Severus while was still technically a kitten, he was just under a year when I brought him home so not a little baby kitty. The only reason I was considering a kitten was that I heard it is easier for them to get along, or that it can be.

Thanks for the input. If I met an older cat with a personality that would match I would have no problem giving him or her a home! It's good to hear success stories.

I got a kitten to be friends with my one year old cat about eleven years ago...they still hate each other. At first it was really bad. And I did all the research and introduced them and reintroduced them correctly, etc. Now they tolerate each other, but they never sit together or groom one another. They closest they get to playing with each other is occasional fighting and chasing. Bottom line? I think they would both prefer to be alone.

I wish I had cute BFF kitty pics to share. Sadly, my cats don't get along very well. They tolerate each other at best. We thought that getting a kitten to be a buddy for our 7 year old cat would be a good idea. But we would up adopting a Bombay mix who is very dominant! So he likes to intimidate out older cat and jump on her. And she just hisses and runs away from him instead of putting him in his place or playing. I don't think she realizes that she is bigger than him!

Had to do some research on why this was happening because I've never had cats that didn't get along before. When we adopted the kitten I had no idea he was a Bombay. They have very specific personality traits and apparently want to rule other cats. They are better suited for dogs than other cats.

The good thing is that they don't fight and they don't want to kill each other! Kayla the older cat just keeps to herself mostly. I can't tell if she hates him and us for bringing him home or not. But I really hope that one day they love each other.